Quality Control
by Ivan Ivan Ivan
Summary: Mankind is slowly winning the war against the abyssals, but these days, victory seems to be further than it used to be. With data showing the slow decline of victories, quality inspectors are hired to maintain the quality of the shipgirls. How will the quality inspectors react to the shipgirls? This just a work of fiction, the creators of Kancolle reserves all rights to Kancolle.
1. Chapter 1

"And so, I look forward towards working with you," bowed Ryuusei, showing his appreciation towards the admiral sitting in front of him.

"Same here. You'll start tomorrow, I've informed the aircrafts carriers about you. Use the rest of the day to familiarize yourself with the base, I'll have our public relations' director take you to your quarters first," replied admiral Yamamoto, a well-built man with a fierce expression.

"If you will, I'll take my leave now,"

And with that, Ryuusei left the room, feeling the 1000-ton burden disappearing from his shoulders.

"So, how did it go?" asked Takahashi, a young girl playing the role of the public relations' director for the Kantai program. Takahashi was also a close associate to Ryuusei, being the one who initially introduced him to the program and offering him a good job at the base.

Quality control, it's very important. Mankind is slowly winning the war but according to recent data, the performance throughout the war has been decreasing slowly, with fewer and fewer victories. Every ship designation would be assigned several quality inspectors to combat this issue, Ryuusei was one of them.

"I'm hired."

"Wonderful! It's always wonderful to have more staff on hand. So, to your quarters?"

"Yeah, I'd like to dump all my luggage there first before exploring the base."

"Alright then, just follow me!"

Both Ryuusei and Takahashi walked down the corridors of the administrative building, chatting along the way with the sun shining in through the open windows.

"It's bright again today,"

"That's good, it accentuates your dark blue hair perfectly," commented Takahashi on Ryuusei's hair.

"Well, thanks. I guess the sun is good. You're as energetic as always, aren't you?"

"I'm the public relations' director, I have to be energetic."

"So about my job as a quality inspector, when will there be more personnel on board with me?"

"Hmm, so far you're the first to be hired. To make sure this isn't a bad investment, the admiral will take some time to deliberate about it."

"In short, I'm the pilot guinea pig for this program."

"Exactly!" pointed out Takahashi, a wide grin on her face.

"I can feel the stress of this job already…"

"Just to let you know, you can't resign until the pilot phase ends."

"I know, I read the terms and conditions."

"All 101 pages of it? So diligent, I'm sure you'll have no problems with this job."

Their conversation continued all the way to the aircraft carriers' building.

"It's a pretty huge building…," said Ryuusei, examining the building of the aircraft carriers.

"The destroyers have two buildings. Well then, I'll be taking my leave now, I have stuff to do. To help you get along have this map. On the back is the internet password. See you around!"

"Likewise, see you around.

Ryuusei nodded and waved at Takahashi, who began walking in the opposite direction.

 _Well then, time to meet the people I'm inspecting._

Ryuusei opened the door to the aircraft carriers' dormitory to be greeted by all the aircraft carriers.

"Welcome," greeted the aircraft carriers as they bowed.

"Thank you, the quality inspection starts tomorrow so be at ease for today."

 _Introducing myself to them would show them that I put effort into my work. I'll do that._

"Well, I'm sure the admiral has informed all of you. I'm Ryuusei, your sole quality inspector for now. I look forward to seeing your excellence and discipline during my tenure here."

No response.

 _Well, that's to be expected._

"To start with, I'd like to at least know your names. From your right please,"

* * *

 _There're all formal introductions, like most introductions._ _But I got all their names._

"So: Akagi, Kaga, Hiryuu, Souryuu, Shoukaku, Zuikaku, Taihou, Houshou, Shouhou, Zuihou, Ryuujou, Junyou, Hiyou, Chitose and Chiyoda. Did I get all your names right?"

"Yes, you did," responded Akagi.

"Alright, well, I won't be in for the rest of the day as I'll be familiarizing myself with the base's facilities but I'll be available at night. Do you all have a schedule?"

 _God, that makes me sound like some sort of male prostitute. Anyways, if they have a schedule it'll make life easier. I already have one on hand just in case._

"Yes, we do, a copy of our schedule is in your room already, along with copies of our service history," this time it was Kaga who responded.

"I appreciate the initiative. By the way, where is my room?"

"Down the corridor, first room on the right. If you would excuse us,"

"You're all excused, well then, have a good day."

* * *

 _Nerve-racking, isn't it, working with only females. Luckily, I happen to have experience working with girls._

"Ah…," Ryuusei let out a sigh, stretching himself.

 _I'll unpack everything tonight, for now I'll walk around the naval base while reviewing their schedule and service papers._

Shutting the door behind him and hanging a sign with the words 'Out' on it, Ryuusei walked out of his room. As he walked out of the door he spotted Akagi, walking pass his door.

Ryuusei silently nodded, acknowledging Akagi's presence. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he quickly tried to dart off. Whenever men met women, either one will feel uncomfortable.

"Excuse me, but don't you think that simply nodding is a little bit rude?" questioned Akagi.

"I'm extremely sorry," apologised Ryuusei as he turned around to bowed slightly. "I don't have a thing for communicating with women you see,"

"That's why you should practice, Mr. Ryuusei."

"I'm working on it, but it takes time, these kinds of things are hard to improve, Akagi."

 _I opted to call her by her actual name without any honourifics. I hope she gets the message._

"Did you make that sign by yourself? Ryuusei?" asked Akagi, pointing towards the sign on Ryuusei's door.

 _Ah, she did._

"Ah, yes, I did. I used to work in the field of education until the war broke out. Those were better times. I think I should get going, otherwise I won't be able to see the entire base's compound today. The base is very big after all. Goodbye then, Akagi."

"Goodbye, Ryuusei."

Leaving the carrier dormitory, Ryuusei set off to explore the rest of the naval base. First stop, the cafeteria for food.


	2. Chapter 2

_Practice and training starts at nine o'clock in the morning, lasting for three hours. After all that, daily patrols and missions are done for the rest of the day. Occasionally, the admiral, at his own discretion may choose to pull off exercises at any time. A simple enough schedule. At least I have a lot of free time in the morning and afternoon for myself._

 _Still, my job is surprising easy. According to the paperwork, I just need to record down their performance and what happens during their training and report to the admiral daily. If I really want to have an impact on this war, I'll need proper authority. But I leave it there for now. I'll need to get accustomed to the base and its inhabitants first._

Approaching the cafeteria, Ryuusei carefully placed both the schedule and the map that he had on hand into a briefcase he had on hand.

 _The cafeteria is huge._

The cafeteria was huge, in fact, it was its on building. That's a cafeteria for a fully functioning military installation.

Opening the door to the cafeteria, the fresh aroma of food tingled his senses. He placed a hand on his stomach, reassuring it that it'll get the food it desired.

The cafeteria was quite a sight. Arrays of tables and chairs all neatly organized. A long cafeteria tray line was available as well. Lighting was nice and windows allowed the sunlight to enter. The floor was very clean as well, quite an impressive accomplishment.

As Ryuusei examined the cafeteria, a voice called out.

"Are you new? Never seen you around here," a rough crisp male voice entered Ryuusei's ear.

 _Sounds like an old man._

Ryuusei turned to look at the origin of the voice.

 _Ah, it is an old man._

"Yes, I'm new here. Hired by the admiral for QC."

Upon closer inspection, the old man wore a rugged light blue uniform with a newsboy hat on a head with little to no hair. On that hat was the word 'groundsman'. The old man was eating a bowl of _tonkotsu ramen._

"Come have a sit here, young chap," invited the old man, patting on a vacant chair besides him.

"Well, I don't think qualify to be young, but I'd be delighted to join you," out of courtesy, Ryuusei obliged the old man, seating himself besides the old man.

"So, what do you want to eat?"

 _He's a talk-active old man._

" _Katsudon,_ I haven't had that in days."

"Excuse me! Mamiya! Get a _katsudon_ for this fine man here,"

"Alright! Coming right up!" replied the supposed Mamiya from the kitchen.

"So, how much is the _katsudon_ here?"

"It's my treat, you're a newcomer after all. Here in the base, breakfast, lunch and dinner are free, being served at specific times for different staff and personnel. If you want to eat outside the designated times, like for tea break, you pay. Though the price here is pretty reasonable when compared to the city."

"Thank you, I'll repay you someday. Thank you for that crash course of meals here in the base."

"Think nothing of 'eat',"

Ryuusei chuckled, humouring the old man.

"The name's Ryuuji, I'm the groundsman around here, one of them."

"Ryuusei here," replied Ryuusei.

Ryuuji took a spoonful of ramen, and ate it, creating loud slurping sounds that echoed throughout the empty cafeteria hall.

"Mou an mi, way share ey konection. (You and me, we share a connection.) We're both dragons in our own right," muttered out Ryuuji, not caring that he was still chewing.

"Oh? How so?" asked Ryuusei, figuring out what Ryuuji muttered. Both of their names had the character for dragon in them.

Ryuu = Dragon

"Doing our own part in this goddamn war. I make sure the base is clean and conducive, you ensure quality."

"I guess so."

Before Ryuusei realized, his _katsudon_ was already in front of his face. Ryuuji whipped out his wallet and handed Mamiya a ¥1000 note. A quick monetary exchange was made and Ryuuji received several coins back in return.

"Thank you again, now then. _Itadakimasu."_

Clapping his hands together, Ryuusei did a short bow towards his _katsudon_. He peeled apart a pair of disposable bamboo chopsticks and began to dig into his meal.

"Youngsters like you need more energy," Ryuuji unexpectedly placed a _chashu_ _4_ into Ryuusei's _katsudon_.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure, have it. Too much meat is not good for my advanced age anyways."

"I see."

There was period of silence throughout the cafeteria as both Ryuuji and Ryuusei continued eating.

"Young man,"

"Hmm?"

"What did the Abyssals do to you?"

 _How direct._

"Well, they killed my family, that goes for about anyone in the world currently."

"Same here. They killed my grandchildren. Ahhhhhh, I don't want to remember those dark days."

It was slightly surprising to Ryuusei, there wasn't any tinge of sadness or regret laced into his voice. Even though he said that he didn't want to remember, he brought it up.

"Why bring up the topic then, Ryuuji?"

"The more we confront our thoughts the stronger we get," Ryuuji looked up at Ryuusei and smiled and Ryuusei returned the sentiment.

"How brave of you, you've already somewhat made peace with yourself.

"Yup. Even though I don't want to remember those memories, it doesn't pain me much when I do remember."

Ryuusei unknowingly let out a sigh. "I haven't been able to make peace with my losses, I've been a raging alcoholic ever since the Abyssals attacked. I know it's bad and I know that I need and can stop, but I don't feel like it. It's more like I can't bring myself to stop."

 _It's as if I don't want it to end_.

For a few seconds Ryuusei stared down at his food, only to resume eating.

"Well, you manage to keep yourself well-composed and you were even recruited by the admiral. I'm sure you'll manage soon enough. I'm assigned to the Main Administration Building, feel free to come and chat if you're feeling down. Though don't ask me out to go drinking, I abstain."

"Okay then, I'll meet with you sometime," Ryuusei enjoyed the sentiment,

"Still, you're very open about your past despite how bad you sound about it."

"It's as you said, I just need time and a lot of transparency about my life."

Ryuuji stood up with his empty bowl and walked towards a corner of the cafeteria, disposing of his bowl and cutlery. Surprisingly, the area around his bowl was clean with no splotches of broth anywhere.

"Still, you're a raging alcoholic eh, take it easy with the alcohol. Or else the withdrawal syndrome will set in."

"Alrighty."

"And good luck in setting yourself at peace! See you tonight!"

"See you."

 _Ahhh I wonder what stage of grief I'm in now._

* * *

Having finished a delicious bowl of _katsudon_ , Ryuusei decided to continue to explore the base. He realized it was quite hectic, with Kanmusu sortieing and returning from expeditions around the clock.

As per usual, any military installation required some place for its soldiers to practice and the training and practice area was divided based on ship designation:

Destroyers, Light and Torpedo Cruisers.

Heavy Cruisers and Battleships.

Light Carriers and Carriers.

Submarines.

Since Ryuusei was only assigned to the carriers, he spent most of the time at the training area surveying the carriers' training ground. It had very clear instructions, with illustrations provided, showing the S.O.P. of training for the carriers.

 _Admiral Yamamoto gave me papers detailing what I need to watch for when they train. Being rated based on several factors, all related to war._

Hours passed as Ryuusei continued on his tour of the base. Finally, dusk arrived and Ryuusei headed for the bath.

* * *

Baths in the base are communal, gender separated and built in a Japanese fashion. The shipgirls had their own special bathhouse which acted as special repairing centres, separating everyone else from the shipgirls.

Upon entering the changing area, Ryuusei caught eye of Admiral Yamamoto in the process of changing out of his uniform and Admiral Yamamoto noticed Ryuusei entering as well.

"Do I need to salute you?"

"You're not military staff so feel free to leave it out. You can salute if you want to," responded Admiral Yamamoto tiredly, it seemed that today was a long day for him.

Ryuusei didn't salute, instead he went straight to stripping.

Both grown men didn't say anything as they continued stripping. Both of them were alone, together.

However, as Ryuusei took off his bottoms, Admiral Yamamoto couldn't take his eyes off his lower body. A mixture of surprise and sadness hit him, hard.

The entire lower half of Ryuusei's body was fully mechanical, his original organic legs and crotch were artificial. To add to his surprise, the remainder of Ryuusei's organic body bore many scars. It was a sudden grim reminder of the horrors of the Abyssal War to Admiral Yamamoto.

"Is anything wrong? Admiral?"

"Nothing, I wasn't very prepared to see that. Sorry."

Injuries and permanent handicaps are common because of the harsh nature of the war. It was only a matter of how hard it took people by surprise.

"It's okay. I get it often."

A brief silence gripped both Ryuusei and Admiral Yamamoto as Admiral pondered on what to say next. He had to be tactful, one wrong sentence and it could potentially trigger PTSD. However, he liked to know his men's background, to get to know their strengths and weaknesses. Little did he know that Ryuusei was quite open to these kinds of conversations.

"The war must have hit you hard."

"The war hit everyone hard. I'm just another unfortunate survivor."

Both Ryuusei and Admiral Yamamoto entered the bathing area. The footsteps of the two were accompanied by the soft mechanical hum of Ryuusei's legs every time he moved that would have otherwise been muted by his pants.

Stepping into the pool, both men felt the water's warmth wash away their stress and troubles bit by bit. Both of the men sat a fair distance from each other, respecting each other's private space.

"Have you met the carriers yet?" questioned Admiral Yamamoto, breaking the silence.

"Yes, I did. They gave me a very favourable initial impression."

"Good to hear, I look forward to your initial report tomorrow."

No matter how much Admiral Yamamoto wanted to just rest and relax, he had a naval war to coordinate with the rest of the military. He had to do his job, reminding Ryuusei of his duties that started tomorrow.

"Understood, I'll report in after I compile an evaluation on all their performances."

"Alright, I'll be in my office for the entire day tomorrow so feel free to report in at any time. By the way, how are you settling in? Did Miss Takahashi walk you to your room gently?"

"Yes, she was a great help. Tonight, I'll unpack all of my luggage before going to sleep."

Admiral Yamamoto nodded.

"Admiral."

"What is it?"

"While I have read through all the papers on how a Kanmusu is evaluated: endurance, firepower, stamina, speed and etcetera, there is a disturbing lack of focus towards their mental and emotional state."

Admiral Yamamoto straightened his posture, making himself look solemn. His facial expression turned dark as well. All this added to a new more solemn atmosphere.

"I'm sure that you and I know that both a soldier's mental and emotional state are important. And these Kanmusu are women as well. Some even look like children. I'm worried that their mental state and emotional state may hamper their performance. I'm sure you agree with me, Admiral."

"Ryuusei, as much as I agree with you, we simply do not know much about the shipgirls. Even their origin is heavily disputed and widely debated in the higher echelons of the country. Even though they have personalities and can somewhat think and have leadership skills, we don't know if they are genuine or just a pre-programmed function. Something like robots if you would."

"So, there isn't enough evidence to show that they experience the normal horrors of being a soldier."

"Exactly. Personally, I want to see them treated honourably with potential treatment for any invisible scars. After all, they're fighting for our survival. But, there is also the matter of time. Whilst the war is slowly being won, we're still forced to run operations and sorties around the clock. Resources are still hard to come by and manpower is limited."

"I understand, but I'm still worried about them."

"Don't give it too much thought. When the time is right, I want to start an official research on how a Kanmusu's mental state and emotional state can affect their performance in war."

Admiral Yamamoto stood up and smiled briefly before turning heels to get out of the bath.

"See you at dinner later, no welcoming party will be held though," said Admiral Yamamoto as he left the bath.

"See you. No problem, take care, admiral."

* * *

Dinner was very lively as the base's staff rushed in for dinner. The Kanmusu had taken dinner earlier than everyone else and it seemed that they had a monstrous appetite, depending on their specifications. After the Kanmusu, it was the rest of the base's staff.

The long array of serving counters found their use, with throngs of men and women scrambling to get food. It seemed that curry rice was on the menu today with three different meat choices, namely: chicken, beef and pork. People could also choose how spicy they wanted the curry.

Ryuusei sat down on a lone single table in a corner which was enough for only 2 possibly 4, he noticed Ryuuji chatting it up with another elderly group of men and women, all of them related to facilitating cleanliness at a long table.

Takahashi and the Admiral were all doing their own thing, it was just Ryuusei sitting by himself alone, he didn't mind though.

Ryuusei sampled his pork curry rice, the curry being the spiciest curry available. He felt the pain tingle his tongue, he always liked the sensation of spicy food and he was blessed with not sweating when eating spicy food.

Soon after he finished eating, he left the cafeteria and headed straight for the base's convenience store.

 _I want a drink…_

* * *

Author's Note:

I do plan on including the Kanmusu more in the coming chapters, but I want to shape up the main character. I don't know whether I can do it well but I'll try.


End file.
